The Council of the EU adopted on Friday 6 November sanctions - freezing their assets and banning them from travelling to the EU - against eight new Syrian Ministers, all of whom were appointed last August.
They are the Ministers of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Bassam Tou’ma, Industry, Ziyad Sabbagh, Electricity, Ghassan Zamel, Health, Hassan Ghabache, and Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Mohammad Hassan Qatana. Mohamad Fayez Barcha, Malloul Hussein and Mohammad Samir Haddad, all three Ministers of State, are also affected by the restrictive measures.
According to the legal acts published on the same day, “as Ministers of the government, they share responsibility for the violent repression exercised by the Syrian regime against the civilian population”.
On 16 October, the EU had already sanctioned seven new Syrian Ministers (see EUROPE 12583/8)
With this decision, 288 individuals and 70 entities are sanctioned for their participation in or support of the el-Assad regime.
These measures will run until 1 June 2021. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)